Exactly 100 years ago, in the tragic aftermath of the Great War, one of most Jow Forums events of all time took place in the shores of northern Adriatic.
Gabriele D'Annunzio, the womanizing warrior Poet and celebrated war hero, Gabriele D'Annunzio, has been convinced to lead a group of officers and soldiers of the Grenadiers to Fiume. At that time Fiume was a city inhabited by Italians but which was excluded from the post-WWI Italian borders, thanks to Wilson's and France's meddling. The Grenadiers had been forced to abandon the weeping population by the Italian government, but swore to return. Major Carlo Rejna, around 20 officers and roughly 300 soldiers of the Italian army deserted their places, stole all the vehicles from the battalion motor pool, and headed out towards the frontier. As D'Annunzio sport car was leading the way in the night, followed by 30 trucks, the motorcade reached the border and was stopped at the army roadblock at Cantrida. The soldiers at the block tried to stop them, but D'Annunzio, feverish from the flu, stood up in his car, showed them his war medals, dared them to shoot him and bellowed a rousing speech. In the end, the whole army unit guarding the border crossing, commanding general included, deserted and joined the "legionari". Several other smaller groups of veterans and adventurers had already joined the group.
In Fiume, the column was welcomed by a group of local volunteers led by Horst Venturi, and entered the city. D'Annunzio marched to the palace of the Government, self-appointed himself as regent and proclaimed Fiume's annexation to Italy, hailed by a crowd delirious with happiness.
The cowardly and embarassed Italian government refused the annexation, and set in motion things to normalize the city status. However, they were very slow in cordoning off the city, and thousands of veterans and 'forward deserters' flocked to Fiume, including several ships of the navy, and the whole crew of a battleship, the Dante Aligheri, which remained in the harbour till the bitter end.
As the negotiations went back and forth, Fiume turned in the biggest Jow Forums meeting ever, with D'Annunzio busy leading the cultural life of the city, drafting laws, and doing the equivalent of shitposting for the time: coining new insults and mottos. The city stability spiralled a bit out of control, as its economy became based on random acts of piracy, material help from Italy, and the money going on and off all the adventurers, patriots and journalists moving into the city. Absinthe, booze, women, dances and music became the norm every night. People came to join D'Annunzio's legionnaires from all around the world, Japan included.
Less than a year later, D'Annunzio proclaimed a new free state, the Carnaro Regency, with a fairly advanced Jow Forumsonstitution, a new motto (Qui Contra Nos? - Who is against us?). The city was a strange mix of autocracy and absolute libertarianism, a very unstable and volatile mix. Some months later, a new Italian Government backed by the Entente powers sent an ultimatum to the Carnaro, ordering its government to dissolve and his soldiers to stand down. D'Annunzio refused, and in the december 1920 the Italian army and fleet attacked the town. D'Annunzio, already reluctant to spill "the brother's blood", ordered the surrender of the city as the artillery shells started to land among the civilian houses. Him and his legionaries left Fiume hailed as heroes in the whole country, the very unpopular action by the government gave lots of fuel to the rise of fascism 2 years later. Fiume was held by an international government for roughly 1 year, before suffering another coup, and then being annexed to Italy until the end of WW2 (losing Dalmatia was Mussolini's biggest crime). It's now a fully Croatian city and legitimate croatian clay, as almost all Italian population fled or was killed in the late 40s.
In this 100 year anniversary, I just felt that it was right to share this purest, most joyous, most patriotic manifestation of dreamers daring to dream, and living larger than life, in name of liberty, hope and adventure, driven by their belief above everything else and ruled, hilariously ineffectively, by a soldier Poet. It's also a very interesting topic, mostly for its uniqueness, and the hundreds of stories revolving around it.
Mostly because they were, most Italians were even more manlets at the time.
A "draw me like your french girl" group photo of the Poet with his Arditi. At its peak, Carnaro's army had about 11k men (with a civilian population of less than 60k)
Thanks. Curiously, the Italian Regency of Carnaro was the first state in the world to recognize the Soviet Union, which in turn became the only major power to recognize the Carnaro.
A large part of the reason the "Impresa di Fiume" and the Carnaro has been memoryholed as much as possible its due to the fact that it was pretty hard to fit that in the major political categories, and it pissed off many people, from Mussolini to Gramsci.
However, it's mostly leftists that had been actively trying to suppress it, especially here in Italy. They tend to associate it with fascism, which is idiotic on so many levels: The above mentioned facts, the huge mutual dislike between Mussolini and D'Annunzio, and most importantly, the Carnaro constitution, which was pretty advanced for its time. But again, leftists have the habit of yelling fascist at whoever does not share 100% of their own world view. Another reason it's the foibe genocide against Italian Istrians and Dalmatians at the end of ww2, which is a sad memory, and one who was negated for many years.
(In the picture, "Uscocchi", italo-croatian shock troopers, training for melee combat, under the watchful eye of the Poet)
D'Annunzio meeting admiral Millo, commander of the Italian garrison in Dalmatia.
Millo managed to convince D'Annunzio to not extend its revolution to the whole of Dalmatia, promising that Italy would not abandon it. Such promise was broken by the Italian government (obviously), which in turn infuriated Millo.
I vaguely recall D'Annunzio airdropping leaflets on Vienna during WW1, which was a good effort for the time (I'm assuming the bombs affected the planes range too much, so they leafletted instead)
Colton Lee
Pictured: D'Annunzio launching the warcry that he had personally penned (Eia Eia Alalà) in front of the assembled soldiers.
Some excerpts of the pretty unique Carnaro constitution:
[...]
> 4. The province recognizes and confirms the sovereignty of all citizens without distinction of sex, race, language, class, or religion. But above and beyond every other right she maintains the right of the producer; abolishes or reduces excessive centralization and coinstitutional powers, and subdivides offices and powers: so that by their harmonic, interplay communal life may grow more vigorous and abundant.
> 5. The province protects, defends, preserves, all popular rights and liberties; insuring international order by justice and discipline, seeks to bring back a time of well—ordered happiness which should bring new life to a people delivered at last from Government of lies and oppression; her constant aim is to raise the status of her citizens and to increase their prosperity; so that the citizenship shall be recognized by foreigners as a title of high honour as as it was in former days under the law of Rome.
> 6. All citizens of the State, of both sexes are equal, and feel themselves equal in the eve of the law. The exercise of their constitutional rights can be neither diminished nor suppressed except by public trial and solemn condemnation.
> 7. Fundamental liberties, freedom of thought and of the Press, the right to hold meetings and to form associations are guaranteed to all citizens by the Constitution. Every form of religion is permitted and respected, and allowed to erect its own places of worship; but no citizen may allege his creed or the rites of his religion as a reason for withdrawing from the fulfilment of duties prescribed by the law. Misuse of statutory liberty, when its purpose is illegal and when it disturbs the public peace may be punished, as provided by the law; but the law must in no way transgress the principle of liberty.
> 8. The Constitution guarantees to all citizens of both sexes: primary instruction in well-lighted and healthy schools; physical training in open-air gymnasiums, well-equipped; paid work with a fair minimum living wage; assistance in sickness, infirmity, and involuntary unemployment; old age pensions; the enjoyment of property legitimately obtained; inviolability of the home; ‘habeas corpus’; compensation for injuries in case of judicial errors or abuse of power.
> 9. The State does not recognize the ownership of property as an absolute and personal right, but regards it as one of the most useful and responsible of social functions. No property can be reserved to anyone in unrestricted ownership; nor can it be permitted that an indolent owner should leave his property unused or should dispose of it badly, to the exclusion of anyone else. The only legitimate title to the possession of the means of production and exchange is labour. Labour alone is the custodian of that which is by far the most fruitful and profitable to the general well-being.
> 10. The harbour, station, railway lines comprised in the territory of Fiume are the inalienable and incontestable property of the State in perpetuity. By a statute of the Free Port, the full and free use of the harbour for commerce, industry, and navigation is guaranteed to foreigners as to natives, in perfect equality of good treatment and immunity from exorbitant harbour dues and from any injury to person or goods.
D'Annunzio was a daring, dauntless and fiery madman during the war, even more than during its already over the top civilian life. He had pushed so much for the conflict, that didn't want to be spared from it, and took part in some of the riskiest actions, including some propaganda ones that were of its own design.
These included the flyover of Vienna.
The text says (quick and dirty translation): > Citizens of Wien! > Learn to know the Italians. We fly over Wien, we could be dropping tons of bombs. But we only leave you a three-colored greeting, the three colors of freedom. > We don't wage war on children, old men, women. We wage war on your government, enemy of national freedom, your blind, cruel, stubborn government which cannot give you peace nor bread, and feeds you with hate and delusion.
> Citizens of Wien! > You have a reputation for intelligence. Then why are you wearing the prussian uniform? Now, you see, the whole world is against you. > Do you want to continue the war? Then do so, it's your suicide. What do you hope for? The decisive victory promised by the prussian generals? Their victory is like Ukrainian bread: you'll die awaiting for it.
The text in the leaflets was, however, different from the one D'Annunzio penned, because that one it was judged too difficult to comprehend.
Here is D'Annunzio's text: > On this August morning, while the fourth year of your desperate convulsion comes to an end and luminously begins the year of our full power, suddenly there appears the three-color wing as an indication of the destiny that is turning.
> Destiny turns. It turns towards us with an iron certainty. The hour of that Germany that thrashes you, and humiliates you, and infects you is now forever passed.
> Your hour is passed. As our faith was the strongest, behold how our will prevails and will prevail until the end. The victorious combatants of Piave, the victorious combatants of Marne feel it, they know it, with an ecstasy that multiplies the impetus. But if the impetus were not enough, the number would be; and this is said for those that try fighting ten against one. The Atlantic is a path already closing, and it's an heroic path, as demonstrated by the new chasers who coloured the Ourcq with German blood.
> On the wind of victory that rises from freedom's rivers, we didn't come except for the joy of the daring, we didn't come except to prove what we could venture and do whenever we want, in an hour of our choice.
> The rumble of the young Italian wing does not sound like the one of the funereal bronze, in the morning sky. Nevertheless the joyful boldness suspends between Saint Stephen and the Graben an irrevocable sentence, o Viennese.
> Long live Italy!
You can probably see the difference between the Poet and a mere state propagandist.
The flight was extremely dangerous. The SVA bombers were modified to have some increased range, and D'Annunzio's one was a custom two-seater plane. The flight was completely instrumental, with no radio and no ground support nor air cover. Each plane carried around 40kg of leaflets.
A curiosity: D'Annunzio wore a skull-shaped ring full of cyanide, to swallow in case of capture by the Austrians.
By the way, D'Annunzio's SVA biplane has been preserved, is regularly restored, and is fully functional. It is exposed in his home-museum of Vittoriale near Garda Lake. It even made a celebratory flight last year for the 100 years of the Wien Flyover.
Well, they could have dropped some 500kg of bombs all in all, but D'Annunzio had reasonably surmised that a bombing run, especially one of such limited scale, would not be as relevant as a full blown propaganda effort like a leaflet drop.
By the way, for this episode I managed to find a good documentary that also has some auto-translated captions. youtube.com/watch?v=1jSJhnLKKpI
Pictured: D'Annunzio's SVA biplane flying last year, for the centenary celebration of the Wien Flyover.
>the whole thing was done on a whim >kinda poorly organized >driven by emotion Most Italian thing ever.
Justin Morgan
Grouse, I love a good biplane.
I can see why they used the first leaflet and not D'Annunzio's though, first is more demoralising and less insulting, a mistake the Germans and japs always made (for example, the Rats of Tobruk got their name from German radio, morale in the fort was low until the germs started sperging over the radio about how 'the rats of Tobruk have been abandoned by the brits and will be crushed', it made them realise how salty the Germans were over its loss)
Caleb Myers
Thank you for this OP!
Ian Walker
>nip pastaboo Who'da thunk
Ethan Bell
Yes, it was probably for the best. D'Annunzio was such a primadonna that still insisted for 50k of his own leaflets to be printed and carried on the flight, together with 350k others.
Thanks
After being exposed to western civilization, Japanese people have always been very sympathetic and fascinated by Italy and its culture. It's likely because we are so dissimilar in culture, and yet so hauntingly akin.
On the evening of the 12th of September 1919 there was also a somewhat dramatic showdown between admiral Casanuova on one side and D'Annunzio and Reina.
Casanuova had sailed from Venice in order to regain control of BB Dante Alighieri, whose crew had deserted to join the legionaries and free state of Fiume. He arrived to Fiume and was immediately received by D'Annunzio, where he demanded that the ships of the RMI were left free to set sail. He was furious because when he went aboard the Dante Alighieri, more than 400 shipmen and officer threw themselves in the water of the harbor to stop the ship from leaving anchor, making it undercrewed.
Casanuova and D'Annunzio had a stern row, where Admiral Casanuova told the Poet to release the ships at all costs. D'Annunzio replied: "The ships are in Fiume, everything in Fiume is under my command, including the ships. The ships are my most precious jewel" Casanuova replied that the ships are Italian, and they were flying the Italian flag. D'Annunzio contested this assertion, saying that "In Fiume everything is Italian, but of an Italy better than that of the Cagoja" (Prime Minister Nitti's nickname by D'Annunzio, which meant roughly 'Supreme Defecator'). At that point things escalated, Casanuova said that he swore fealty to the King and would carry out his orders to death and D'Annunzio said that he admired him, but had to put him under house arrest nonetheless. Reina witnessed all the drama, and made the arrest. Casanuova was released some weeks later.
A machinegun nest in the rubble near the outskirts of Fiume during the Bloody Christmas (24 december 1920). You can see how mixed is the equipment of Carnaro's army. The MG is a Fiat Revelli 1914, and two of the volunteers are in civilian clothes.
Fun fact, there was a sizeable number of soldiers armed with french Berthier Rifles.
Fiume is always fun to post about, first time I’ve seen it here.
Is it true that there was a metric ton of cocaine for D’Annunzio’s personal use?
Carter Baker
thats italians for you
Tyler Richardson
D'Annunzio used cocaine, but not so much during Fiume's years. At the time cocaine was very much like a social/recreative drug, a bit like strong drinks. He wasn't shy about it, though.
He consumed much more cocaine after, during his last years in the Vittoriale.
Yes, very much. In fact, it was one of the most quintessential Italian moments.
Lincoln Cruz
This is amazing, don't let this thread die
Luis Gomez
Are they french helmets? Or did Italian helmets have a central ridge too?
Nolan Campbell
D'Annunzio was a faggot and his literary production is absolute shit
Angel Butler
Thanks, I'll try to post more. By the way, if there's any question, just ask, I'll try to answer to the best of my ability and knowledge.
Italy used a slightly modified version of the french Adrian helmet (Model 16) for its regular line troops.
Pictured: celebrations for the proclamation of the Carnaro Constitution.
Lol, cuck Only country to enter ww1 after being bought by the highest bidder with the promise of teritorial gains and then couldn't advance an inch against Austria-Hungary that was fighting on two fronts, one of them being against Russia. Got BTFO-ed constantly and so hard that Italians got extinct on the eastern coast of the Adriatic
Noah Butler
this is the most k part of the story its like that faggot in highschool that thought he was tougher than everyone and told people to fight him, takes one punch then pussies out but still tries to act tough saying 'yeah I could have kicked his ass but...'
Sebastian Jenkins
Italy was the first western power to establish an embassy in Japan iirc. They always have had close ties.
Leo Morris
Have some "Bersaglieri Ciclisti" from Fiume. The iconic Italian 'elite' infantry, but mounted on bikes.
By the way, again on the Carnaro Constitution, this is, in my opinion, one the most curious and wholesome parts:
> 14. There are three articles of belief which take precedence of all others in the Province and the federated communes: Life is a good thing, it is fit and right that man, reborn to freedom, should lead a life that is noble and serious; a true man is he who, day by day, renews the dedication of his manhood to his fellowmen; labour, however humble and obscure, if well done adds to the beauty of the world.
The very "advanced" constitution made by the Poeta sounds cool imo, and I think it could have for the little city state he made, only and exactly because it was a city state
Ayden Hughes
>that article I like it, it's so not-modern it hurts.
Mason Turner
>labour, however humble and obscure, if well done adds to the beauty of the world. That's beautiful.
Kevin Cox
>commune
>labor-wanking
>All citizens of the State, of both sexes are equal, and feel themselves equal in the eye of the law.
>Misuse of statutory liberty, when its purpose is illegal and when it disturbs the """public peace"""
>The State does not recognize the ownership of property as an absolute and personal right
>No property can be reserved to anyone in unrestricted ownership
>The only legitimate title to the possession of the means of production and exchange is labour.
A clarification is needed, otherwise meaning will be lost in translation. > Commune In this sense, the world refers to the medieval institution of the "Liberi Comuni" (Free Communes, or Free Cities), something as far from communism as possible. In Italian it's very clear. It has nothing to do with, for instance, the french or socialist concept of Commune.
I don't want to go too much off-topic, but I told you it was very hard to place according to usual political standards.
On the one hand, it was very anti-capitalist and paternalist in planning the economy, or at least, in intervening against economic activities deemed damaging for the public. It also mandates a minimum livable wage. On the other hand, it was very liberal and libertarian - for instance, by their constitution, tariffs and value added taxes would be completely unconstitutional, and no permits were required before starting an enterprise.
All that said, neither D'Annunzio nor most of his companions and supporters (which, for instance, included Marinetti) were communists.
Yes, it probably would have worked well enough for a small nation state, like Singapore. The original idea was to make a kind of free-port of the Adriatic sea and Mediterranean trade. However, D'Annunzio was many things, but certainly not a good administrator, and the emergency situation they were in didn't ever allow the constitution to be put to proper test.
>I like it, it's so not-modern it hurts.
Yes, that's part of its beauty. And of the overall fascination that the era of the Carnaro Regency inspires. They believed in poetry, beauty, and willpower, in the fragile hope that hearts and words and desire could become one and drive the better aspirations of human nature.
Christian Garcia
bump
Joshua Cook
>we'll most likely never see this happen again Fuck
Sadly, it's likely. But, As another user () said, > Don’t be sad because it’s over, be happy because it happened.
And if anything, it should be an inspiration for daring to dream, and dream big.
Joshua Reyes
what an absolute badass
Dylan Long
Are you sure that is a Fiat–Revelli? It looks more like a Schwarzlose to me.
Owen Sanchez
The Dante Aligheri battleship
I see the sailors were just as epic as the writer
Camden Gomez
Is that a Somalian standing in the middle?
Jordan Fisher
Heroes worthy of being remembered. When everyone else’s way has failed, do it your own way, and have fun doing it. Thanks user. I learned something. Blessings of the kube upon you.
The caption said so, but looking at it better you might have more than a simple point. Plausible, since a lot of equipment was also leftovers from the AH army.
Justin Rogers
D'Annunzio decorating the banner of his bersaglieri detatchment.
If tomorrow the thread is still up, I'll try to find a bit more material and maybe the time to write some other anecdotes.
>Their victory is like Ukrainian bread: you'll die awaiting for it!
I like this. I want to use this as often as possible. We should ALL us it.
"An improvement in California's gun laws is like Ukrainian bread:"
"$100 Mosins and SKSs is like Ukrainian bread:"
"The boogaloo is like Ukrainian bread:"
"The return of BOOF is like Ukrainian bread:"
"The day Jow Forums submits to you Jow Forumstards and your shilling is like Ukrainian bread:"
"The kube's approval of your hideous mutilation of that poor gun is like Ukrainian bread:"
"Another proper army-to-army war fought with infantry and tanks is like Ukrainian bread:"
"...You'll die awaiting for it!"
Jace Bennett
People wouldn't really get it, so it would make you look like a mega autist referencing something only you know. I suppose if enough people started using it, then explaining the context if asked, it may catch on. You seem like a faggot but you may be onto something neat. A new Jow Forums inside joke or something.
Colton Adams
>The day this idea catches on... is... is like... heheh
Hunter Ortiz
This guy gets it
Also, fuck you doubter.
Bentley Rogers
>D'Annunzio, already reluctant to spill "the brother's blood", ordered the surrender of the city as the artillery shells started to land among the civilian houses.
So in other words, he was a coward who collapsed like a pack of cards at the first shot.
>So in other words, he was a coward who collapsed like a pack of cards at the first shot.
If he had fought back he would have quickly lost public support, by surrendering he was able to appear as being the victim who was concerned about the lives of his people while making the government look very, very bad for shelling a group that wasn't looking to fight. Besides Italy took the town a few years later anyways so this was a massive political victory for "the poet" and is probably part of why he is still a folk hero.
Think about the political stategy behind the decision.
Josiah Long
Highly based thread OP Too much history ignores interwar Italy and all the really cool shit that went on-- wehraboos and antifacists alike pretend that Italy wasn't responsible for a lot of ideas, art, and politics that went into "fascism" before and during WWII The fact that it's all looped into a simple category of just "fascist" has led to a real paltry understanding of both Fascism proper, and all of the other Italian movements that existed in parallel to it
Jaxson Davis
These are beautiful ideas worth dying for, OP Don't let people who don't fucking understand that all politics aren't either "muh capitalist market with NO JEWS OR COLORED ALLOWS and NO LABOUR UNIONS" or ISLAMIC COMMUNISM get to you. They will never be able to appreciate D'Annunzio or his contemporaries. The futurists and all of their influences are proto-Jow Forums as fuck. If they were alive today they'd be playing around and larping with all sorts of weapons, designing impractical-but-flashy camo uniforms, experimenting with MRE cooking abominations and acting completely autistic in public with the best of us-- or maybe the best of us could only aspire to be like them.
Also, fun fact, and pic semi-related: Marinetti invented the robot waifus for his futurist play "La donna è mobile"
There's not so many good photo sources on the internet, so I've snapped some pictures from one of my books on the subject to gather some images that might be of Jow Forums interest.
First, a photo of Morlacchi volunteers (Morlachs). Morlacchi were descendents of roman colonists surviving the barbarian invasion which lived in the Dinaric Alps. Later, most of them moved to coastal Dalmatia, and became somewhat Italianized.
In order to celebrate the 1st year anniversary of the Ronchi March, several athletic competitions were organized. This is the always popular rope pulling challenge.
Ah, by the way, D'Annunzio was, among many things, also the inventor of the Scudetto, which is a small shield-shaped badge worn by sportspeople (either individual or in team) who are the winner and title holder of an Italian national sport competition.
I'd like to point out that there were five days of shooting war, and the surrender came only after the city itself was being shelled.
D'Annunzio was unwilling to commit to the total annihilation of the city and its patriots, which would be the only possible outcome of a last stand against the whole Italian (or even Entente) army. Same reasons as why he never committed to a full-scale civil war or insurrection in Italy, despite some pleas that came his way.
However, he postponed the inevitable up to the point where the city and its people themselves were in danger. During those five days the Carnaro legionaries made a fighting retreat from the border to the city, and both sides lost around 25 soldiers.
As, pointed, it worked well enough for Fiume, at least up to the point WW2 came and fucked the whole Europe sideways.
Jaxson Jones
Some of the people involved, besides those already mentioned
Piero de Sylva, the oldest legionary volunteer. He was born in 1852, thus he joined that adventure at the respectable age of 67.
General Sante Ceccherini, another one of those high ranking officers that deserted from the army and traveled on his own to reach D'Annunzio in Fiume.
Sante Ceccherini, from florence, was an Olympic gold medal during the competitions of 1908 (saber), and another celebrated war hero of both Lybia and Isonzo.
Finally for now, an intriguing picture I took some time ago. This is the official documents that the Italian community in TORONTO, Canada, sent to Fiume together with their donations and material help, encouraging D'Annunzio for his enterprise. "Fiume or Death"... All the way from leafland to the Adriatic. Impressive, and tells you how big was the reach of what was happening at the time.
Finally for now, an intriguing picture I took some time ago. (Sorry for the bad quality, it was in the Vittoriale museum) This is the official documents that the Italian community in TORONTO, Canada, sent to Fiume together with their donations and material help, encouraging D'Annunzio for his enterprise. "Fiume or Death"... All the way from leafland to the Adriatic. Impressive, and tells you how big was the reach of what was happening at the time.
